SINGAPORE — This year’s museum-wide Children’s Season kicks off on Saturday, and when young visitors and their parents drop by the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), they can expect to see the skeleton of a 4.8m-long reticulated python, a specimen of a Sumatran Tiger and ... animal poop.

It’s not real, of course. These are part of ACM’s themed exhibition on Chinese zodiac animals titled Once Upon A Time In Asia: The Animal Race. The fake droppings, as well as the skeleton and specimen, are on-loan from the Science Centre Singapore. The displays comprise the science education aspect of the show that includes bronze replica sculptures of zodiac animal heads (donated by Hong Kong celebrity Jackie Chan), as well as an interactive section featuring animal-themed artworks created by 500 pre-school students from Kinderland.

The exhibition is one of 50 programmes and activities under the annual children-centric exhibition, which is on its eighth edition. Organised by the National Heritage Board (NHB) and the Museum Roundtable, the events will be spread across 19 museums until the end of next month.

“It’s important to start them young, not just in terms of knowing the values of culture and heritage but also coming to museums. Beyond the classroom, museums have a very great role to play,” said Tan Boon Hui, NHB’s assistant chief executive of museums and programmes, who underscored the month-long event’s importance.

He added that it’s important for the children’s activities to go beyond just “drawing or colouring”, or supplementary workshops, but actual activities that “treat children as independent thinkers”. “It’s more than just play,” Tan said.

Of course, play is still an important component in Children’s Season, which can be seen in the other main participating museum, the National Museum of Singapore (NMS). The museum’s popular Masak Masak event from last year returns with 10 installation works, including the popular inflatable playgrounds inspired by Singapore’s old mosaic playgrounds. The works were created by Singaporean and international artists, with assistance from students of the Nanyang Academy Of Fine Arts, National University Of Singapore and School of the Arts. Among these are Jeremy Hiah, who will present a shadow puppetry performance; and Koeh Sia Yong, one of the art scene’s senior figures, who has a woodblock print exhibition.

Children’s books also figure in this Children’s Season. One of the installations at Masak Masak is inspired by Singaporean celebrity Jeanette Aw’s children’s book Sol’s World: Somebody To Love. Meanwhile, the ACM has also launched its first children’s book, The Missing Mouse, by Melissa Viswani and Darel Seow.

Children’s Season 2015 runs from Saturday to June 28 at the National Museum of Singapore, Asian Civilisations Museum and other museums. For more information, visit http://www.museums.com.sg/cs15.